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Supreme Court · Decisions

National Labor Relations Board v. Crompton-Highland Mills, Inc.

337 U.S. 217 · No. 197 · 1948 term · Vinson Court

Decided May 31, 1949 · argued Jan 31, 1949

Unions · Labor-management disputes: bargaining

Majority opinion: Harold Burton

The voteMajority

9–09 in the majority, 0 in dissent

No dissent (9–0)

Reversed and remanded. National Labor Relations Board won.

What this ruling means

Reversed and remanded: the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and sent the case back to that court for further proceedings that follow the Supreme Court’s ruling.

National Labor Relations Board was the petitioner, the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the case. “Won” means the Court gave that side the result it asked for.

From the Supreme Court Database. A justice who agreed with the result but not the reasoning counts in the majority.

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Summary

The opening of the case’s Wikipedia article: what the case was about and what the Court held.

Wikipedia has no article on this case, so there is no summary.

Data notes

The text is Wikipedia’s (CC BY-SA 4.0), matched to the case by its citation, docket number or name and year, and is not checked against the opinion. The site keeps the article’s opening section, ending on its last full sentence. The one-sentence summary under the title is the Decisions list’s: Wikipedia’s own ruling sentence, or, tagged “AI-written”, one Claude wrote from this opening.

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How the justices voted

Each justice who took part, placed by their Martin–Quinn ideology score for the 1948 term. Filled: the 9 in the majority. Hollow: the 0 in dissent. Colour is the party of the president who appointed them.

More liberalMore conservativeMedianRutledgeDouglasBlackMurphyFrankfurterReedVinsonBurtonR. Jackson

Majority(9)

Dissent(0)

  • None.
Data notes

Each justice’s vote and what they wrote are from the justice-centered file of the Supreme Court Database. “Wrote a concurrence” means the justice sided with the majority and wrote separately; a justice who dissented in part is counted on the side they took overall. A justice who wrote nothing is listed as joining their side.

Positions are each justice’s Martin–Quinn score for the case’s term, the same scores as the Ideology page: negative is more liberal, positive more conservative. A score sums up a justice’s votes across the whole term, so it says where they usually sit, not why they voted as they did here. The median line is the Court’s median justice that term.

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The parties

Who brought the case to the Court, who answered it, and how it got there.

Petitioner
National Labor Relations BoardNational Labor Relations Board, or regional office or officer
Respondent
Crompton-Highland Mills, Inc.Employer
Reached the Court by
Certiorari (the Court chose to hear it)
Data notes

The names are the two sides of the case’s title. The description under each is the Supreme Court Database’s category for that party, in its own wording. The petitioner is the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the decision below. “Why it was taken” appears only when the majority opinion says lower courts disagreed or were unsure about the question; reasons that would fit any case (“to resolve the question presented”, “an important question”) are left out.

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The law at issue

The law the Court was asked to apply, and the kind of power it used to decide.

Provision
National Labor Relations, as amended
Kind of law
Federal Statute
Decided by
Interpretation of administrative regulation or rule, or executive order; Statutory construction
Data notes

The Supreme Court Database codes the main constitutional provision, statute or court rule each case turned on, and the basis of the decision: judicial review of a federal or state law, interpreting a statute, supervising the lower courts, and so on. A case can rest on more than one. “Overruled” counts only where the majority opinion says so.

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Timeline

What happened at the Court and how the case got there, newest first.

  1. May 31, 1949DecidedDecided · Decided 9–0: reversed and remanded. National Labor Relations Board won.
  2. Jan 31, 1949ArguedArgued · Oral argument before the Court.
  3. Not datedTaken upTaken up · The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case (certiorari).
  4. Not datedCourt belowCourt below · Began in and was decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit: reversed.
Data notes

From the Supreme Court Database: the court the case began in, the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed and what that court did, how the case came to the Court, and the dates of argument and decision. The database does not date the steps in the lower courts. Court names are the database’s.

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Other decisions on the same issue

37 other argued cases since 1946 on labor-management disputes: bargaining, newest first.

  1. Unite Here Local 355 v. Mulhall571 U.S. 83Dec 10, 2013 · 571 U.S. 83Unions6–36–3 band
  2. National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 1309 v. Department of the Interior et al.526 U.S. 86Mar 3, 1999 · 526 U.S. 86Unions5–45–4 band
  3. American Hospital Association v. National Labor Relations Board et al.499 U.S. 606Apr 23, 1991 · 499 U.S. 606Unions9–0Unanimous band
  4. Fort Stewart Schools v. Federal Labor Relations Authority et al.495 U.S. 641May 29, 1990 · 495 U.S. 641Unions9–0Unanimous band
  5. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service v. Federal Labor Relations Authority, et al.494 U.S. 922Apr 17, 1990 · 494 U.S. 922Unions7–27–2 band
  6. National Labor Relations Board v. Curtin Matheson Scientific, Inc.494 U.S. 775Apr 17, 1990 · 494 U.S. 775Unions5–45–4 band
  7. Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Co. v. Railway Labor Executives' Association491 U.S. 490Jun 21, 1989 · 491 U.S. 490Unions5–45–4 band
  8. Federal Labor Relations Authority v. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Department of the Army485 U.S. 409Apr 4, 1988 · 485 U.S. 409Unions9–0Unanimous band
  9. Fall River Dyeing & Finishing Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board482 U.S. 27Jun 1, 1987 · 482 U.S. 27Unions6–36–3 band
  10. National Labor Relations Board v. Action Automotive, Inc.469 U.S. 490Feb 19, 1985 · 469 U.S. 490Unions6–36–3 band
  11. National Labor Relations Board v. Bildisco & Bildisco, Debtor-In-Possession, et al.465 U.S. 513Feb 22, 1984 · 465 U.S. 513Unions5–45–4 band
  12. United Transportation Union v. Long Island Rail Road Co. et al.455 U.S. 678Mar 24, 1982 · 455 U.S. 678Unions9–0Unanimous band
  13. Charles D. Bonanno Linen Service, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board et al.454 U.S. 404Jan 11, 1982 · 454 U.S. 404Unions5–45–4 band
  14. National Labor Relations Board v. Hendricks County Rural Electric Membership Corp.454 U.S. 170Dec 2, 1981 · 454 U.S. 170Unions5–45–4 band
  15. National Labor Relations Board v. Yeshiva University444 U.S. 672Feb 20, 1980 · 444 U.S. 672Unions5–45–4 band
  16. National Labor Relations Board v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago et al.440 U.S. 490Mar 21, 1979 · 440 U.S. 490Unions5–45–4 band
  17. Bayside Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. National Labor Relations Board429 U.S. 298Jan 11, 1977 · 429 U.S. 298Unions9–0Unanimous band
  18. Linden Lumber Division, Summer & Co. v. National Labor Relations Board et al.419 U.S. 301Dec 23, 1974 · 419 U.S. 301Unions5–45–4 band
  19. National Labor Relations Board v. Bell Aerospace Company, Division of Textron, Inc.416 U.S. 267Apr 23, 1974 · 416 U.S. 267Unions5–45–4 band
  20. National Labor Relations Board v. Burns International Security Services, Inc., et al.406 U.S. 272May 15, 1972 · 406 U.S. 272Unions9–0Unanimous band
  21. Allied Chemical & Alkali Workers of America, Local Union No. 1 v. Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., Chemical Division, et al.404 U.S. 157Dec 6, 1971 · 404 U.S. 157Unions6–18–1 band
  22. H. K. Porter Co., Inc., Disston Division-Danville Works v. National Labor Relations Board et al.397 U.S. 99Mar 2, 1970 · 397 U.S. 99Unions4–27–2 band
  23. National Labor Relations Board v. Gissel Packing Co., Inc., et al.395 U.S. 575Jun 16, 1969 · 395 U.S. 575Unions8–0Unanimous band

  24. National Labor Relations Board v. United Insurance Co. of America et al.390 U.S. 254Mar 6, 1968 · 390 U.S. 254Unions7–0Unanimous band
  25. National Labor Relations Board v. Acme Industrial Co.385 U.S. 432Jan 9, 1967 · 385 U.S. 432Unions9–0Unanimous band
  26. National Labor Relations Board v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.380 U.S. 438Apr 5, 1965 · 380 U.S. 438Unions8–18–1 band
  27. Fibreboard Paper Products Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board et al.379 U.S. 203Dec 14, 1964 · 379 U.S. 203Unions8–0Unanimous band

  28. National Labor Relations Board v. General Motors Corp.373 U.S. 734Jun 3, 1963 · 373 U.S. 734Unions8–0Unanimous band

  29. National Labor Relations Board v. Katz et al.369 U.S. 736May 21, 1962 · 369 U.S. 736Unions7–0Unanimous band
  30. National Labor Relations Board v. Insurance Agents' International Union, AFL-CIO361 U.S. 477Feb 23, 1960 · 361 U.S. 477Unions6–36–3 band
  31. National Labor Relations Board v. Fant Milling Co.360 U.S. 301Jun 15, 1959 · 360 U.S. 301Unions9–0Unanimous band
  32. National Labor Relations Board v. Lion Oil Co. et al.352 U.S. 282Jan 22, 1957 · 352 U.S. 282Unions6–27–2 band
  33. Brooks v. National Labor Relations Board348 U.S. 96Dec 6, 1954 · 348 U.S. 96Unions8–0Unanimous band
  34. Howell Chevrolet Co. v. National Labor Relations Board346 U.S. 482Dec 14, 1953 · 346 U.S. 482Unions8–18–1 band
  35. National Labor Relations Board v. American National Insurance Co.343 U.S. 395May 26, 1952 · 343 U.S. 395Unions6–36–3 band
  36. Packard Motor Car Co. v. National Labor Relations Board330 U.S. 485Mar 10, 1947 · 330 U.S. 485Unions5–45–4 band
  37. National Labor Relations Board v. Donnelly Garment Co. et al.330 U.S. 219Mar 3, 1947 · 330 U.S. 219Unions9–0Unanimous band
Data notes

Every other orally argued case with a clear vote, from the 1946 term on, that the Supreme Court Database files under the same issue as this one. The database gives each case one issue from a list of about 270 (abortion, search and seizure of vehicles, the death penalty, and so on), whatever law it turned on.

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Official record

Read the full opinion on Justia. Case data from the Supreme Court Database, Version 2026 Release 01, through the 2025 term.